Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel: Expanded and Updated!

Unlike many advice-givers, Block doesn't tell you what book to write, or the one and only way to write it. He holds that every novel is different, and so is every novelist; his aim is to give you the tools to enable you to find your own way.

The Liar's Bible: A Handbook for Fiction Writers

For 10 years, crime novelist Lawrence Block funneled his wealth of writing expertise into a monthly column for Writer’s Digest. Collected here for the first time are those pieces illuminating the tricks of the authorial trade, from creating vibrant characters and generating seamless plots, to conquering writer’s block and experimenting with self-publishing.

The Liar's Companion: A Field Guide for Fiction Writers

For 10 years, New York Times best-selling crime novelist Lawrence Block drew on the hard-won wisdom he gained creating over one hundred books to write a monthly column for Writer’s Digest. Collected here for the first time are writings that illuminate the tricks of the authorial trade, from creating a fresh story and delivering a powerful ending, to adapting books for the screen and deciding when to make the switch to fulltime writer.

In 2012, fiction author Monica Leonelle made a life-changing decision to learn to write faster. Through months of trial-and-error, hundreds of hours of experimentation, and dozens of manuscripts, she tweaked and honed until she could easily write 10,000 words in a day, at speeds over 3500+ words per hour!

Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.

Dialogue: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen

In Dialogue, Robert McKee offers in-depth analysis for how characters speak on the screen, on the stage, and on the page in believable and engaging ways. From Macbeth to Breaking Bad, McKee deconstructs key scenes to illustrate the strategies and techniques of dialogue. Dialogue applies a framework of incisive thinking to instruct the prospective writer on how to craft artful, impactful speech.

The Art of X-Ray Reading: How the Secrets of 25 Great Works of Literature Will Improve Your Writing

Where do writers learn their best moves? They use a technique that Roy Peter Clark calls X-ray reading, a form of reading that lets you penetrate beyond the surface of a text to see how meaning is actually being made. In The Art of X-Ray Reading, Clark invites you to don your X-ray reading glasses and join him on a guided tour through some of the most exquisite and masterful literary works of all time, from The Great Gatsby to Lolita to The Bluest Eye and many more.

Stein on Writing: A Master Editor Shares His Craft, Techniques, and Strategies

Stein on Writing provides immediately useful advice for writers of fiction and nonfiction, whether newcomers or accomplished professionals. As Sol Stein, renowned editor, author, and instructor, explains, "This is not a book of theory. It is a book of usable solutions, how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place."

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success

Let outlines help you write a better book! Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer's arsenal.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

The prolific, perennially best selling author recounts his early life and writing struggles, gives advice on the crucial aspects of the writing art, and talks about his much-publicized, near-fatal accident.

Catch and Release

One of the most highly acclaimed novelists in the crime genre, Lawrence Block is also a master of the short story. The sixteen stories (and one stage play!) collected here feature appearances by some of Block's most famous characters, including burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr and private detective Matt Scudder, as well as glimpses into the minds of a rogue's gallery of killers, sociopaths, and crooked cops.

The Sins of the Fathers

The hooker was young, pretty...and dead, butchered in a Greenwich Village apartment. The prime suspect, a minister's son, was also dead, the victim of a jailhouse suicide. The case is closed, as far as the NYPD is concerned. Now the murdered prostitute's father wants it opened again--that's where Matthew Scudder comes in.

Save the Cat! Strikes Back

Blake Snyder, author of Save the Cat! and Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies, has delivered the audiobook countless readers and students have clamored for. Inspired by questions from his workshops, lectures, and emails, Blake listened to you and provides new tips, tactics, and techniques to solve your writing problems and create stories that resonate.

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

“Writing is a craft you can learn,” says Roy Peter Clark. “You need tools, not rules.” In this essential guide, Clark distills decades of experience into fifty tools that writers of all kinds can use every day. You may be crafting a newspaper story or an admissions essay for college. You may be writing a technical report or drafting your first novel. You may be a student or a teacher, a poet or a critic, a columnist or a blogger. You may be preparing a PowerPoint presentation or penning a love letter.

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

In You Are a Writer, Jeff Goins shares his own story of self-doubt and what it took for him to become a professional writer. He gives you practical steps to improve your writing, get published in magazines, and build a platform that puts you in charge. This audiobook is about what it takes to be a writer in the 21st Century. You will learn the importance of passion and discipline and how to show up every day to do the work.

Jennifer S. Leblanc says:"Author is someone I'd like to have a beer with"

The Successful Novelist

David Morrell, best-selling author of First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose and The Fifth Profession, distills four decades of writing and publishing experience into this single masterwork of advice and instruction for fiction writers looking to make it big in the publishing world. With advice proven to create successful novels,

Hit Man

Keller possesses all the qualities of a professional killer. He's cool, confident, reclusive, icy, and ruthlessly efficient. But this seasoned hit man is also prone to self-doubt as he finds himself caught in the clutches of a mid-life crisis.

Publisher's Summary

Lawrence Block is a best-selling author of popular mystery fiction. With over 30 of his works in print, he is as prolific as he is skilled. This collection of essays and articlesfrom his Writer’s Digest columns has been in print for over 20 years. Here he provides invaluable advice to the aspiring writer and the established author. Featuring a witty and honest narration from the author himself, Block presents an illuminating look into the world of the professional writer.

It's a pretty cute, entertaining audio-book. While it does contains seeds of practical advice, it seemed to be more inspirational and encouraging to me than anything else. A nice listen for when you are tired of writing and want to know you are not alone.

Lawrence Block shares information he's gained over his years as a successful writer in a way that makes you feel like you're listening to an old friend. I love his sense of humor. Take his advice, find your own voice, and you can become a successful writer.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I've listened to Telling Lies For Fun And Profit several times. It encourages me, gets me excited about writing, and reminds me that every writer has moments of struggle. We all doubt ourselves at times. The only way to improve and get your work out there is to read other works of fiction, learn your craft, and keep writing no matter what. Telling Lies For Fun And Profit is one audiobook that can help you put the pieces together.

If you could sum up Telling Lies for Fun and Profit in three words, what would they be?

Enlightening, eye-opening, and very certainly entertaining.

What other book might you compare Telling Lies for Fun and Profit to and why?

There are many books for aspiring writers but I would hazard to advance that very few of them are similar to Block's books for aspiring writers.

What about Lawrence Block’s performance did you like?

I believer that Block is really opening up about his life as a writer and put that on the page. Many successful writers give the "party line" about what it takes to be a writer, but I believe that Block is giving us the true soul of a writer of his generation. He is a brilliant man who decided young that he would be a writer and did so...not always to a glorious end, but he is one of my heroes for sticking to his guns, writing junk to survive and genre classics to entertain.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from Telling Lies for Fun and Profit?

The true existence of a successful modern writer.

Any additional comments?

If you aspire to entertain others with the written word...listen to this over and over. It is brilliant and entertaining.